Badminton, court or lawn game played with

lightweight rackets and a shuttlecock. Historically, the shuttlecock

(also known as a “bird” or “birdie”) was a small cork hemisphere
with 16 goose feathers attached and weighing about 0.17 ounce (5
grams). These types of shuttles may still be used in modern play,
but shuttles made from synthetic materials are also allowed by the
Badminton World Federation. The game is named for Badminton,
the country estate of the dukes of Beaufort
in Gloucestershire, England, where it was first played about 1873.
The roots of the sport can be traced to ancient Greece, China,
and India, and it is closely related to the old children’s
game battledore and shuttlecock. Badminton is derived directly
from poona, which was played by British army officers stationed
in India in the 1860s. The first unofficial all-England badminton
championships for men were held in 1899, and the first
badminton tournament for women was arranged the next year.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF; originally the
International Badminton Federation), the world governing body of
the sport, was formed in 1934. Badminton is also popular
in Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and Denmark. The BWF’s first
world championships were held in 1977. A number of regional,
national, and zonal badminton tournaments are held in several
countries. The best-known of these is the All-England
Championships. Other well-known international tournaments
include the Thomas Cup (donated 1939) for men’s team
competition and the Uber Cup (donated 1956) for women’s team
competition.
Badminton first appeared in the Olympic Games as a
demonstration sport in 1972 and as an exhibition sport in 1988. At
the 1992 Games it became a full-medal Olympic sport, with
competition for men’s and women’s singles (one against one) and
doubles (two against two). Mixed doubles was introduced at the
1996 Games.
Competitive badminton is usually played indoors because even
light winds affect the course of the shuttlecock. (Recreational
badminton, on the other hand, is a popular outdoor summertime
activity.) The rectangular court is 44 feet (13.4 metres) long and 17
feet (5.2 metres) wide for singles, 20 feet (6.1 metres) wide for
doubles. A net 5 feet (1.5 metres) high stretches across the width of
the court at its centre. A clear space of 4 feet (1.3 metres) around
the court is needed. Play consists entirely of volleying—hitting the
shuttlecock back and forth across the net without letting it touch
the floor or ground within the boundaries of the court.
In international play, athletes compete in best-of-three-games
matches. A game is played to 21 points, provided that the winner
has at least a 2-point advantage. If a 2-point advantage is never
reached, the first player or team to score 30 points wins. Points
were only awarded to the serving side until 2006, when the BWF
adopted the “rally scoring” system, under which either side can
score at any time.

BADMINTON
BADMINTON is a racket sport played by either two opposing
players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles).
The badminton court is rectangular and is divided by a net.
Players score points by hitting a shuttlecock with their racket so
that it passes over the net and lands in the other side of the court.
Competitive badminton is best played indoors because shuttlecock
flight is affected by wind. But badminton, as a casual recreational
activity, can also be played outdoors. Badminton has been an
Olympic sport since 1992 (Barcelona),
History
Games similar to badminton have existed throughout history, from
ancient Greece to medieval Japan and colonial India, where a form
of the game called “poona” was played. In the 1860’s, British
Army officers posted to India became interested in “Poona” and
took the game home to England, where the rules of badminton
were set out.
This new sport was definitively launched in 1873 at the
Badminton House, where the Duke of Beaufort introduced the
game to his guests. The sport was then known as "The Game of
Badminton" for a number of years, until the name was shortened
to
BADMINTON EQUIPMENT
Rackets
Badminton rackets are light, with top quality rackets weighting
between 79 and 91 grams including the strings. The grip of the
racket is very important. The choice of grip allows aplayer to
increase the thickness of his racket handle and choose a
comfortable surface to hold.
Shuttlecocks
A shuttlecock (often abbreviated to shuttle and also commonly
known as bird or birdie) is a projectile with an open conical shape.
There are different types of shuttles:
Shuttlecocks with feathers. They are often used by high level
players. The cork is covered in goat skin (usually).

Synthetic shuttles (nylon shuttles). They are often used by

recreational players and beginners.
Feathered shuttles are more expensive and break more easily than
nylon shuttles.
Plastic shuttles. They are smaller and it is almost impossible to
play
badminton with them.
BADMINTON COURT
Badminton is played on a court marked for both singles and
doubles matches. The court is rectangular and divided into halves
by a net. The doubles court is wider than the singles court, but both
are the same length. The exception, which often causes confusion
to newer players, is that the doubles court has a shorter serve-
length dimension.
The doubles court is 6,10 metres wide and 13,40 m. long.
The singles court is a little smaller (5,18 m. wide and 13,40 m.
long).
The net is 1,55 m. high.
BADMINTON RULES
1. Scoring system: 3 x 21 rally point scoring system.
Before May 2006, players could only win a point on their own
serve. But the scoring system was changed in 2006, and now
players can earn a point on their own serve and also when their
opponent serves.
Each game is played with 21 points (with a margin of at least two
points), with players scoringa point whenever they win a rally. If
the score reaches 20-all, then the game continues until one side
gains a two point lead (such as 24-22), up to a maximum of 30
points (30-29 is a winning score).
A match is the best of three games. (The first player who wins two
games wins the match.)
2. Service:
At the start of the rally, the server and receiver stand in diagonally
opposite service courts. The serve must travel diagonally to be
good.
The server must hit the birdie so that it passes over the net and the
short service line, and would land in the receiver's service court.
The server must hit the shuttle from below the waist.
There is only one serve.
In singles, the server stands:
⇒ in his right service court when his score is even (or 0);
⇒ in his left service court when his score is odd.
In doubles, if the serving side wins a rally, the same player
continues serving, but hechanges service courts so that he serves to
each opponent in turn. If the opponents winthe rally and their new
score is even, the player in the right service court serves; if odd,
the player in the left service court serves. The winners of the
previous game serve first in the following one. The server and
receiver must stand inside their respective service courts until the
serveis made. The server can do deceptive movements to
disconcert the opponent (FEINTS).

3. Playing the game:

The object of the game is to hit the shuttlecock back and forth over
a net without permitting it to hit the floor in bounds on your side of
the net. The shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce on the floor.
The rally continues until someone wins it by hitting a good shot
which their opponent cannot return, or until someone loses it by
hitting a fault. Faults include:
⇒ hitting the birdie into the net;
⇒ hitting the shuttle outside the court;
⇒ hitting the bird twice before it goes over the net. Each side may
only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes back over the net;
⇒ carrying the bird on the racket;
⇒ it is also a fault if the shuttlecock hits the ceiling;
⇒ touching the net with the racket or any part of the body during
play;
⇒ reaching over the net to hit the shuttlecock.
Whoever wins the rally earns one point, and serves to start the next
point. A birdie can hit the net on its way across during play and the
rally can continue. The players change ends at the start of the
second game; if the match reaches a third game, they change ends
both at the start of the game and when the leading pair's score
reaches 11 points.
All lines are considered in bounds.
BADMINTON STROKES
1. Forehand and backhand.
Badminton offers a wide variety of basic strokes. All strokes can
be played either forehand or backhand. A player's forehand side is
the same side as his playing hand: for a right-handed player, the
forehand side is his right side and the backhand side is his left side.
2. Basic strokes.
You can play upper arm shots or under arm shots. The choice of
stroke depends on:
- how near the shuttlecock is to the net;
- how high the birdie is;
- the current position of the opponent.
Players have much better attacking options if they can reach the
shuttle well above net height, especially if it is also close to the net.
SERVICE (under waist shot):

o short service;
o long service;
o drive service (hitting the shuttle as far as you can with a
horizontal direction and fast);
o backhand service. CLEAR (upper arm or overhead shot - hitting
the shuttle high and to the back of the opponents' court, the
rearcourt):
o attacking clear - 2;
o defensive clear - 1;
DROP SHOT - 5 (upper arm or overhead shot - hitting the shuttle
so that it fallssoftly downwards into the opponents' forecourt, very
close to the net).
SMASH – 4 (upper arm or overhead shot – hitting the shuttle
downwards and fast, attempting to win the rally immediately). It is
also called “kill”.
DRIVE – 3 (hitting the shuttle as far as you can, not too high,
horizontally and fast)
HAIRPIN NET SHOT - 6 (under arm shot - hitting the shuttle
softly back to the net) LOB (under arm shot – hitting the shuttle
high and to the back of the opponents’ court):
o attacking lob, used when your opponent is very close to the net;
o defensive lob, often used to get time enough to return to the
midcourt.

1. Defensive clear; 2. Attacking clear; 3. Drive; 4. Smash; 5. Drop

BADMINTON STRATEGY
To win in badminton, players need to employ a wide variety of
strokes in the right situations. The position in the court is also
really important.
Doubles Badminton Strategies
During a doubles badminton match, the players can use one of the
following strategies:
Front-Back Position: attacking formation Side by side Position:
defensive formatio
High level players tend to use both, changing positions depending
on the situation.
When you defend, try to hit the shuttle deep into your opponent's
court. This is to prevent your opponent in the front position
intercepting the shuttle from mid to front court.
Whenever is possible try to smash or drive the shuttle to the middle
ground between your opponents in order to take advantage of
confusion and clashes.
Another possibility is to play a drop shot or a net shot, forcing your
opponents to lift the shuttle. And remember...Teamwork is the
success formula in doubles!
Singles Badminton Strategies
Remember always to get back to your HOME POSITION in the
midcourt area after making each shot. This is a position where you
can possibly reach any of your opponent's shots.

FOUR CORNERS STRATEGY. Always try to hit the shuttle away

from your opponent and make your opponent move around the
court. The singles court is narrower than the doubles court, but the
same length (with the service exception). Since one person needs
to cover the entire court, singles tactics are based on forcing the
opponent to move as much as possible; this means that singles
strokes are normally directed to the corners of the court, combining
lobs and clears with drop shots and net shots. If you are in a
difficult situation during the rally, you need to make time for
yourself to get back to a good position. Do this by hitting the
shuttle high towards the back of the court, near the middle of the
baseline (if possible).
Try to use a WIDE VARIETY OF STROKES, depending on the
situation. The key is to be flexible.
One simple badminton strategy often used in singles is to serve
long and high to your opponent's back court. This will force your
opponent to move back to the baseline and open up his forecourt.
Observe your opponent's strength, weakness, favourite shots and
pattern of play. Use it to your advantage.
CONCENTRATION during the game is also very important to
reach any of your opponent’s
shots.